Greater Norman Hegemony
Many centuries ago a fierce and militaristic people known as the Normans invaded the island that was once known as Ireland. They were an imperialistic people conquering vast stretches of Europe along with much of once was Ireland, however under their rule Ireland was split up into many kingdoms and they fought among themselves allowing their opportunistic underlings to slowly encroach upon them until the Norman people had completely inter-mixed with the Irish and their rule extended no further than the regions around Dublin. However in the early 2020s the Normans once again came about in the form of a separatist organization from both Irish and English rule, fighting for their rights to have their own nation. The Normans fueled by the hatred of their leader Kevin Bourke recruited anyone who would come to their cause. Yet it wouldn't be until after the bombs fell and chaos had consumed Europe that the Normans would get their wish. History Pre-War In the Pre-war days there existed a sort of war zone that was known as Northern Ireland, more importantly, Ulster. Within this tiny city, the British, Irish, Protestants and Catholics all fought one another for control of the city and who should rule over the city and all of Northern Ireland as a whole, whether there ought to be a united Ireland or should the British should control a good chunk of it. All really stemmed from issues that were decades old sometimes even centuries old back when the British were making their initial moves into Ireland and the Irish were busy fighting one another. however, there was one fellow who was not so happy with both the groups his name was Kevin Bourke. Kevin was an 'officer' in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a revolutionary group dedicated to the overthrow of the British rule of Northern Ireland and the conventional government in Dublin. However,· Kevin had seen the brutality caused by the fighting with the British along with their Irish brethren and was sickened by what he saw and thus disavowed the PIRA and even took a few of his boys with him. These men took off into the countryside and settled in the town of Letterkenney where they formed an organization called the Normans, for the restoration of the true rule of Ireland to its rightful owners; the Normans, no matter how hypocritical their cause was. They united with the many descendants of the Normans and were soon fighting for control of the nation just as much as the PIRA or the British were. The Normans were however considered small fry by the other liberation groups in Ireland and were vastly ignored until on October 23, 2034 sleeper agents within every major Irish Republican group assassinated the heads of their respective organizations and who was left to grow? The Normans. They began a violent campaign against the Irish and the English, bombing government buildings, ambushing convoys and all the while taking generous arms donations from the People's Republic of China whom were given a hollow promise of his and his organizations dedication to the people's revolution. The War The Normans became rather successful in their mission to create for themselves a homeland within Erie itself when the Great War began. Prior to this, the map of Europe had been torn apart as countries wasted away trying to seize the last bits of oil left. The fact that the US and China began nuking one another didn't change anything beyond the fact that the nations of Europe opened up their nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals in order to win a final victory, they inadvertently destroyed themselves with Ireland becoming the victim of an English Biological and Chemical weapons attack having used up the last of their nuclear weapons on mainland Europe. The Normans took to whatever shelter they could find, it turned out they had access to a small shelter they had built themselves and promptly took shelter there. Surviving the Chemical weapons and the Biological attacks they emerged to a changed world, radiation from Europe and America had blanketed the land, residual chemical weapons blew around with the wind, and biological agents created horrible mutations and killed people in some of the most horrific ways. 2077-2080 The years following the emergence of the Normans from their bunker were ones of disorganization and confusion as the Normans vacated the bunker taking all they could with them and heading off into the wasteland, within this world they found a very hostile environment filled with residual chemical weapons wiping out whole groups of survivors as they traversed the wastes, Biological weapons that gave men horrible diseases and mixed with the radiation caused horrific mutations with some people. The mix of poison gas, mutants, and raider bands took their toll on the Normans, of the 100 members that went into the bunker 75 were still standing three weeks later. These men led by Kevin arrived at some old castle ruins near Letterkenney, moving into it they found it to be completely empty. Soon the group had successfully established themselves within its confines and began to improve upon the structure and make repairs to the outer walls. Using an old Pre-war cement mixer they began to pour new walls to fill in the gaps, however the local raider gangs noticed this work project and began to make raids upon the defenses of the Normans, the fighting was usually quick and yet brutal as neither side had the ammo or the resources for prolonged gun battles yet the Norman's numbers were knocked down to 66 people as a result of the fighting. Realizing that his group would soon be wiped out if this war continued between themselves and the raiders and thus a force of ten men were sent out with all the spare ammo they could find, armed to the teeth the men were ordered to wipe out the raiders. At the raider's camp they found a group of thirty raiders readying for yet another attack on their castle, acting quickly the Normans surrounded the camp and using their advantage of surprise and their better shooting abilities were able to kill a substantial amount the raiders while they were in the open and quickly sweeping into the camp they found the camp devoid of life and after killing a few raiders hiding out in their ramshackle tents and huts they began to loot the corpses, recovering plenty of ammo and a few extra weapons along with six jerry cans of gasoline. Along with these valuable supplies they discovered several slaves that had been held by the raiders and upon freeing them brought them back to the Castle. They were soon integrated into their society. The Normans gained valuable raw personnel and the raids on the castle ceased for the time being. The work on the walls continued as the Normans continued to patch walls and reinforce the existing parts, soon the castle walls were nearing completion and the keep itself began to be repaired itself. 2080-2085 With the completion of repairs upon their castle, Kevin began his scheme for expansion and the eventual creation of a new nation dedicated to the Norman's and his family's rule. Kevin started by declaring himself the High King of the new Norman hegemony and declared the whole of Ireland under his control. His newly wedded wife was pregnant with his first son and he had already made a start on the great Bourke family. Elsewhere he opened the doors of La Grande Forteresse to all within the wasteland and allowing the people to freely intermingle within his group, questioning this move many of his lieutenants said he was poisoning an otherwise clear gene pool of pure Normans, Kevin justified this as his people 'cleaning the genes of other underlings' and stated how the fraternization wouldn't last long, just long enough for his army's numbers to be boosted. Out in the wasteland, Kevin saw a vast unconquered wasteland that his group could expand into and thus made preparations for his group to march into the wasteland and destroy the barbarians that inhabited it currently. In early 2080 the troops of the Hegemony left the walls of the castle and began to spread into the wasteland clearing out gangs of raiders, bandits and other crooks declaring the land under Norman control and a part of their newly founded kingdom. The advance stopped after going to the 30-mile limit mark set by their commanders for the expedition. The Norman troops equipped with ramshackle armor and helmets modeled after those of the Norman raiders of the ancient times dug in and waited for further orders. within the land, they had conquered the masses of people who had been pent up in the castle were released and allowed to settle the conquered land as the troops on the borders set up defenses to control the border. several new towns popped up within the Norman's domain and were quickly incorporated into the Hegemony. Yet realizing the extent of his force's capabilities were limited he denied any requests for further advance into the wasteland. Within his domain the Norman culture began to re-emerge taking a central part in the world of the Hegemony, meanwhile the Normans began to locate other towns within the wasteland and began to set up friendly relations with them, setting up trade caravans to foster this friendship, sending out troops to defend the towns and defeat the violent raider gangs that harassed the small settlements. Thus setting the stage for further expansion by his successors. As the final issue of this expansion, High King Kevin declared Catholicism as the official state religion. 2085-2099 During this time the Normans were scouting out the area surrounding their newly secured domain when they came upon a disturbing group forming within the wasteland. It started with a massive Caravan leaving one of the local towns near the Hegemony when the caravan was assaulted by a horde of crazed mutants and as one survivor recounted two men wearing armor, not power armor old plate metal. The supposed knights in shining armor were identified by terrified locals as the Knights of Chaos. These men were a group of survivors, nine in total that had completely accepted that the world was screwed and enjoyed that fact. They intended to keep it that way where people like them could rule over the wastes in an unending orgy of debauchery and sin, everything the Normans stood against. The Normans gathered their army and prepared to move out to attack the Knights stronghold, an old federal prison. Within this prison the Knights had contrived ways to control the feral ghouls and other mutants of the Irish wasteland to serve as their personal army. The nine Knights were well aware of the Norman's existence and had prepared to deal the Norman's their greatest defeat and bring down one of the unifying groups in the wasteland. The Normans arrived outside the prison and made preparations to charge the fortress. In the days since their expansion the Norman army had improved their arsenal of equipment, skilled blacksmiths in La Grande Forteresse had been working hard to outfit the Normans in the traditional Norman helmets and armoring them in chain-mail armor below kevlar vest and flak jackets recovered from the wastes. This new Norman army was led by the illustrious and cunning Knight-Commander Dennis Fitzgerald. Commander Fitzgerald had been working his way through the ranks of the Norman army helping to escort caravans across the wastes, beating off raider attacks and helping to defeat countless raider bands. Finally, as the head of the Norman army, he was in command of one of the most powerful forces in this region of Erie. Fitzgerald gathered his men and set up camp for the night setting out sentries his force of 150 well trained, well armed and well-equipped troops were more than prepared for whatever the Knights of Chaos could throw at them. In the morning they were met by the fearful sight of hundreds of ghouls and other abominations readying for a violent charge into their camp. Fitzgerald quickly marshaled his men, preparing his battle lines. Diving into their prepared line of foxholes and slit trenches the Normans trained their rifles on the mutant horde in front of them. The horde came rushing forward, at a blow of a whistle the grenadiers stepped forward, specially trained to sling grenades from biblical style slings. These men heaved their deadly payloads into the oncoming mutants than quickly stepped back into their cover and picked back up their weapons, set up on a small ridge Fitzgerald knew his men would have the distinct advantage in the fight to come. The Mutants started to take sniper fire, taking down the biggest and scariest ones first and a fair number of Knights were dropped turning their obedient hordes into the old ravenous monster they are. This greatly slowed the advance of the Knight's forces, they arrived at the Norman's fields of fire after much delay and struggle. The Normans opened up with the full force of their combined arsenal, mowing down the mutants in sheets, killing them by the truckload. The last of the knights were killed and their ghouls and mutants suddenly turned on one another and quickly became easy pickings for the Norman troops. This great victory was won with one 22 men losing their lives and another 35 wounded. The Normans led by Fitzgerald swept into the prison and quickly began to ransack it for useable materials, they found mostly scrap metal and a few old guns but they mostly found pagan ritual sites, pagan books and other twisted materials, Fitzgerald made the choice to have the prison burned to wipe it clean of impurity. This was done as the triumphant Normans returned to the Hegemony. In the Hegemony High King Kevin Bourke died after a long and successful reign as the Hegemony's king. His son Duke Henry replaced him. 2100-2120 During this time the Normans, led by High King Henry Bourke managed to acquire a large amount of chemical weapons and after testing its effects on a group of captured tribals deduced that these weapons are only to be used in the most dire of emergencies. This era also saw several towns along the Norman-wasteland border becoming apart of the Hegemony. Thanks to the efforts of his father and family the region around the Hegemony and La Grande Forteresse became quite attuned to the customs and culture of the Hegemony. Henry quickly made plans for the Hegemony to swallow up more of the region. 2120-2160 It was during this era that there came a great evil across the land. A group known as The Serpents rose from the wasteland to become the newest beacon of evil and tyranny in the Irish wasteland. The Serpents were led by a supposedly massive serpent, mutated by the vast amounts of radiation that swept across the oceans and settled over Ireland the massive serpent was the Demi-God of the Serpents. Its started off small enough, the Serpents raided traveling caravans as they ranged across the region, snatching up individuals and high tailing it out of there back to their lair. But soon it became more than that, the Normans lost contact with whole Merchant caravans as they were butchered by the mericless Serpents, those who managed to escape their massive Lair claimed that the Serpents kept their massive snake in a deep pit where they would feed it the youngest, and best looking person out of those they captured. They described it as the length of four school buses, as thick as a small car and a mouth that was lined with razor sharp, venom filled teeth. This news quickly reached High King Henry who called upon his Knight-Commander Annalise to put down the brutal group of raiders and to slay their beast. Annalise brought together a force of 200 Foot soldiers and Knights. These men set off across the wastes, led by those who had escpaed the lair. However the Serpents took notice of this group of warriors headed towards them and as discreetly as they could began to pick off their guides, soon the last guide was gunned down by Serpent snipers and the army was without a guide. Annalise realising they couldn't go on without a guide quickly created a plan to capture one of the Serpents. She took several of her best trained Knights and disguised them as caravaneers in hopes that the Serpents wouldn't shy away from another ambush. With the army close in tow the Knights moved forward, and sure enough the caravan caught the attention of a group of Serpents who immediately attacked the Knights and were suprised to find the Knights were better armed than they were. Soon a potracted gun battle erupted and led by Annalise a group of mounted Knights swung around to outflank the Serpents, as they came to their flanking positions they opened fire on the Serpents killing the last few and after descending down to them they managed to find a single wounded one. As they celebrated their catch they suddenly became aware of the chatter of gunfire and the roar of explosions coming over the hills. racing back Annalise found her army under attack by a massive army of Serpents, surrounded on both sides the army raced to hold the line as fierce hand-to-hand combat raged between the Serpents and the Normans, Annalise rode through the crowd of roaring soldiers and whining horses hacking and slashing at every Serpent she encountered finally arriving back at her command group where she found her second in command, Knight Wilson fighting for his life. Surrounded by five different Serpents he hacked and slashed with his sword, disemboweling one and lopping the arm off another and with the help of Annalise killed a third and a fourth Serpent. The tired Wilson thanked her for the help and then explained how one of their most loyal men had suddenly pulled out his pistol and shot two of his officers dead and then attempted to kill him. With this in mind Annalise turned to the battle raging behind her and after directing her forces expertly she was able to drive back the Serpents. As her men celebrated two foot soldiers brought forward one of her Knights her name was Lora. Lora had been seduced by the Serpents and had betrayed her comrades to the evil Serpents and had informed the Serpents of their plans, allowing them to get the drop on the Normans. She was beheaded on the spot. Surveying the landscape Annalise read through her losses, 120 dead or fatally wounded. That left 80 men to her command. Undaunted she looked over the fields of dead Serpents and was sure that she was victorious and thus she drove her men forward. Marching forward they encountered Serpent ambushes, snipers and the occasional raider band but she was able to lead her men to the Serpents Lair. There she found the remaining Serpents regrouping and preparing for their final battle. Yet her own forces were down to 60 soldiers. Regardless of the risks and determined to destroy this menace to her homeland Annalise charged forward with her men and soon engaged in a brutal battle with the Serpents, desperate to defend their master they fought voraciously but the Normans fought harder charging through the Serpents and arriving at the pit only 10 men strong. As the fight raged around them Annalise and Knight Wilson jumped into the pit below them. They found the massive Serpent that the people had described and it was just as fearsome as they had been told. They fired off their weapons into forcing the beast back into the pit's recesses, they then drew their swords and charged the beast, suddenly it lunged and in one massive and powerful bite killed Wilson, stunned by what she saw Annalise beat off two attempts by the snake to repeat the feat. As the snake charged she saw an opening and dove for it, jumping up onto the monster's head she sunk her sword deep into the massive snake's head, killing it. Above she found the remaining Serpents were dead and the soldiers described how they all started to convulse and keel over until they ceased to move. Just to be sure Annalise and her men went around and chopped the heads off the Serpents, just to be sure. Annalise and her remaining 5 blood-soaked, wounded men returned to the castle, victorious and were welcomed as such. Strangely enough while she was gone the High King had passed and not having named a successor Annalise was made the new High King of the Hegemony. 2160-2220 Under High Queen Annalise the Hegemony prospered several more towns were brought into the Hegemony and the Norman Army successfully defeated several powerful raider gangs and hostile tribes that menaced their borders. It was during this time that the Bourke Family attempted a Coup 'd etat, well not all only one, the son of High King Henry who had felt rather entitled to the throne had grown rather angry at High Queen Annalise for taking his spot. So he quickly decided the best way to gain the throne would be to have her killed, pin it on someone else and quickly seize the throne. He quickly hired a mercenary to make a bomb that would kill Annalise and anyone else in the throne room. The merc agreed and quickly produced a powerful bomb he'd cobbled together from parts found in the wasteland. Essentially it was a propane bomb, two grenades rigged to a full tank of propane which he placed in the throne room during the night before. However in the morning Annalise felt sick and stayed in bed, but the bomb went off none the less on time, killing 26 people guards, priests, nobles, and even two members of the rebellious duke's own family. Annalise quickly began to manage the cleanup effort. Meanwhile, the rebellious Duke made his move and found High Queen Annalise still very much alive. She quickly realized what had happened and had the Duke arrested. Annalise continued to rule over the Hegemony, spreading its influence and power until the day she died on December 1st, 2220. 2220-Present It was during this time that the Normans met their greatest enemy, The Celts. This massive group of various tribes and clans had spread out across all of Ireland and coming in at the tail end of High Queen Annalise's rein they struck at a weak moment. The Celts struck fast and hard, having united as one they swept into the Norman Hegemony like a storm, burning, and destroying village after village and town after town until it was just La Grande Fortresse left standing. Stuffed with troops and refugees the new High King, John Bourke felt they would perish during this final battle and yet he was determined not to go down without a fight and thus gathered his armies and had them dig in. Having just been promoted from the rank of Knight-Commander John simply kept the command. The same echeloned defenses were prepared and then the Normans waited. The Celts meanwhile gathered around the walls and began to strike at them, having little siege equipment they began to construct it from supplies gathered from the nearby ruins. Meanwhile, their soldiers began to rush the gate, the Normans stood fast hitting the Celts with everything they had and drove back the Celts several times. Meanwhile, as these grueling battles dragged on the Celts managed to complete their siege equipment which was mostly ladders and a few trebuchets. The Celts began to rush the defenses of the Fortress and using the ladders began to scale the walls, having fought for several weeks the remaining Normans were tired, sick and many were wounded at least once. However the Celts racing up their ladders soon became targets for the Normans on the walls who opened fire on the Celts with a ferocity that literally warped the barrels of many of their guns causing many to be rendered useless, yet when what few Celts did make it over the wall the Normans used the now useless guns as clubs beating the Celts to death but as a whole the Celts were beaten back. Seeing this the Celts regrouped and prepared for another ferocious attack, going up the ladders and hitting the gate at the some time. Meanwhile, inside the Fortress the High King John ordered his men to hold the walls as long as possible than fall back to secondary defensive lines behind a huge line of buried explosives that were daisy chained together. The Celts came forward in a huge wave, thousands at once, racing up the ladders or battering down the door, the Normans held for as long as they could really letting the snarling horde of savages have it, than as the Celts began to fight their way over the walls and through the gate they fell back to their defensive positions and as the Celts crossed the detonation line the Normans squeezed the detonators and all along the line explosions began to go up as huge groups of Celts were blown apart, or disappeared into the explosions and more than one got some airtime. The Celts looked at the massive trench formed by the explosion and their dead and dying comrades, all maimed horribly by the explosion and decided to keep the fight going. As they attempted to jump over or bridge the trench the Normans lite into them again killing stacks of the Celts. Realizing their folly the Celts looked upon their grave losses and turned around, leaving the remainder of their comrades to be killed by the Normans. The Normans had survived and everyone in the castle celebrated, meanwhile the soldiers began the clean up burying their dead in a symbolic graveyard and having a nice big bonfire with the rest of the corpses. The refugees left the Fortress and headed back to their respective villages where they too buried loved ones and friends along with rebuilding their shattered lives. The Hegemony survived the Celts and would continue to prosper for many years to come. Military Weaponry Conventional For most of the Norman soldiers going into combat, they are equipped with a mix of weaponry, albeit they try to stay consistent nothing can truly be the same in the post-apocalyptic world. For the most part, the average Norman foot soldier is armed with an assault weapon of some sort whether it is an R91 Assault Rifle, hundreds of these were supplied to the Normans by their supporters in the United States, so they're mostly the civilian model not having an automatic function but rather a semi-auto version. Other than the R91 there is the Chinese Assault Rifle, supplied by the PRC to support the People's revolution in Ireland. Thousands of these rifles showed up with plenty of ammo in the days leading up to the Great War enough so that the bunker the Normans had hidden in could be stocked to the brim with them and their ammo. These two rifles are in full service with the Norman army. To add on the Normans have done a great deal of trading and scaving and have turned up on more than one occasion military grade hardware, from M2 .50 Caliber HMGs to night-vision goggles and gas masks. One particular scav mission brought back a whole truckload of radiation suits from a wrecked military convoy. The Normans have access to a great deal of specialty weapons; Sniper Rifles, Anti-Material Rifles, mines, and grenades albeit in limited numbers in regards to the former two. Missile Launchers are also not out of the question as their American supporters were able to get their hands on a few coming off the assembly lines, as for heavier artillery mortars and howitzers have been recovered in limited numbers from old Pre-war military bases and abandoned insurgent camps. Unconventonal For all their high-end firearms the Normans still rely upon a few old weaponry ideas. For starters, the soldiers known as Archers are equipped with crossbows and Bows and arrows. These ancient pieces of weaponry are usually crafted by the soldier himself, having to traverse the wasteland in order to recover the materials in order to make the weapon. But when these are fully completed and in the trained hands of a specialist, these supposed 'obsolete' weapons prove their mettle as Archers suddenly become the silent killers, taking out enemy commanders in their own camps and no one but that person knowing that anyone had been shot. Other than ranged weapons the Normans foot soldiers are usually equipped with short pikes that allow them to create a wall of death for any charging enemy force. However, for the most part, the Normans will shove the pikes into the ground at an angle so they can gore any horses and their riders as they charge towards their lines. Its proven to be quite an effective use of the pikes. The Knights, however, are much different, they are given handcrafted broadswords. Specially formed by the blacksmiths back at La Grande Forteresse these deadly weapons are the nightmares of any enemy foot soldier. Tactics and Strategy The Normans are by no means a defensive minded people, however, when battle comes they are known to dig in, creating vast lines of foxholes and slit trenches to help watch their lines. The best tactic the Normans have against an attacking foe is let the enemy come to them. The enemy sweeps in over the landscape and is slowly bombarded by the Normans defenses. First, mines these come in all shapes and sizes from regular landmines to plasma and pulse explosive, intermixed is a variety of charges, explosives and booby traps set to catch any idiot dumb enought to try and defuse one of the mines. Next comes the "Kill Zone" this area is reserved for allowing Snipers and Artillery to have their way with the charging enemy. Here snipers are told to pick off officers, shamans, or any kind of ringleader, also if done well enough a combination of losses from the minefield and the sniper and artillery fire may be enough to drive away whatever group has chosen to challenge the Normans. Third in line is the "porcupine" defenses, this is where foot soldiers will place down their infantry pikes to help gore whatever comes through, this mostly includes whatever diases and confused warriors make it through the previos two lines. Here the enemy impales himself on the pikes or if he's lucky enough to dodge the pikes he steps on more land mines that are interspersed throught the pikes. Finally comes the actual killing field, everything comes to bear here, grenades from the Grenadiers and machine gun fire from the dug in troops along with artillery and more sniper fire. If the enemy hasn't been broken by the previous two lines than this surley will as the full force of their arsenal comes to bear here. In an offensive scenario, the Normans are just as adept, they will flank, charge and encircle whoever is brave enough to face them on the field of battle. The Normans have a special love for the Hammer-Anvil tactic, a small force, usually, skirmishers and Grenadiers are sent forward and have a brief brush with the enemy, drawing them in. The invigorated enemy is met by again the well-prepared defenses of the Normans and as they ensnare themselves upon these defenses the plan truly goes into action. Cavalry who have already positioned themselves in wide flanking positions quickly move in behind the main body of the enemy destroying their war camp and their supplies than slamming into the unsuspecting reserves of the enemy. These men are either so suprised by the charge they don't know how to react or are scared shitless and choose to run into their fighting brethren. This usually spreads confusion and fear among the fighting troops who try and escape but this only deepens the hole they're in and usually results in the enemy routing or surrendering. In the odd chnce that the enemy continues to resist at this point then the order is given to give no quarter and slaughter the enemy troops, sending a clear message to their families and allies back home: don't fuck with us. Ranks: Knight-Commander This is the Highest position one can hold within the Norman Army, the Knight-Commander whether its a male or female has proven themselves adept at making expert tactical and Strategic choices can command under pressure and are fearless in battle. If that person meets all these requirements than they are surely going to become a Knight-Commander. Under the Knight-Commander are Knights, archers and Foot soldiers. All these men follow the commander's every directive. The Knight-Commander is the Norman's greatest asset and thus needs ample protection this job is filled by the Knight Guard a group of Mounted Knights, selected for their fanatical devotion and loyalty along with fighting prowess these men and women's sole job is to make sure no harm befalls their commander. Knight These men are fighters who have been in the service for quite some time. They have long careers in the Norman Army and have at least two wars or campaigns under their belts. Mostly you'll find nights leading squads of foot soldiers with their great swords hoisted over their heads as they charge into battle or fighting amongst other Knights. When not using their swords these men usually are armed with R91 Assault rifles, AKs of various makes or carbines. Whether it be a Marksmen carbine of an M1 Carbine these men are deadly accurate with their weapon of choice and they exemplify this on the battlefield as many Knights take up the roles as snipers. They also tend to act as officers commanding large companies of foot soldiers and often acting as subordinates to the Knight-Commander. Foot Soldier The lowest on the food chain in terms of rank the Foot Soldiers make up the majority of Norman forces. These soldiers are usually recruited from the general populace and go through the usual rigorous training that each new recruits go through, they get tested in swordsmanship, marksmanship, handling of explosives and their tactical prowess. If they score well in any of the categories they are moved to train as one of the specialty positions like grenadier or an Archer, however, most go through the usual ropes of training and being set up in companies, platoons, and squads for fighting on the front line. Should a Foot Soldier distinguish himself in battle or serve long enough he/she may be able to become a Knight a position held with great prestige in the Norman ranks. Grenadier These men are had selected individuals whose job is basically lob grenades and other explosives at enemies with a david and Goliath style sling. These men are selected for their upper body strength and powerful physique. In terms of ranks they are no higher than the average foot soldier. Archers These men are selected for their skill with a bow or Crossbow. They are silent killers who are usually posted with the normal foot soldiers in the trenches, they add their archaic ammunition to the barrage of led and deadly objects to the fray. Government The Government of the Hegemony is a rather basic one. The Bourke family are the ruling dynasty in the Hegemony currently and more often than not are the tyrants wherever you go within the Hegemony. The government is organized like this, the sons and daughters of original Kevin Bourke are made the dukes and duchesses of the Hegemony ruling over towns and small plots of land. These individuals often lord over their land as they see fit, ranging from tyrannical dictatorship to compassionate leader. Either way, the land is theirs and when they die or become King or Queen the land is passed their eldest child. Dukes and Duchesses answer to the High King the ruler of all the Hegemony, he/she decrees laws, and is the head of the Norman Army however in order to go to war the High King must have the consent of all the dukes and duchesses which almost always happens since the duke and duchesses are usually the High King's siblings. Yet the High King is allowed to have small military actions and operations against revolutionaries conducted without the consent of the dukes along with setting tax quotas (each duke and duchesse must meet the required quota) and appointing new dukes and duchesses. The High King rules over the hegemony as an absolute tyrant that controls all and all people must answer to the High King regardless of position. Culture The culture of the Normans is closely mirrored by that of the ancient Normans and intermixed with Irish and English customs. The Normans themselves are rather religious and are fiercely defendant of their strong Christian faith that ranges from a mix of pagan beliefs and hardline Catholics. No matter what version of Christianity it is the Normans follow it fanatically and refuse to shirk their beliefs in any way and on more than one occasion they've gone to war as part of a religious crusade against the pagan Celts or the other pagans and dietists of the Irish wasteland. Despite their devotion in faith one of the biggest exports of the Hegemony and one of the most consumed drinks is Mead, produced in vast Meaderies located in the towns and villages throughout the Hegemony. Other than that the Normans make their own Whiskey and wine both of which are viewed as rather 'high class' beverages. One thing that has stuck with the Normans throughout their long history is their Martial Spirit, Normans will never back down from a fight even when the odds are stacked against them, they conquer, they defeat and they claim whatever land they can in order to expand their influence across Ireland and to further reach their goal of conquering all of Ireland. If they are always disposed for war than they must be willing to suffer the consequences, if Britain has left one bit of influence on history its their stoicness. Never panic even when the going is so bad you have thousands of slobbering, high and murderous tribals knocking at your door always keep calm and always be prepared to fight even to the last man thats what the British are known for and the Normans followed suit. Quotes By About category: Ireland Category:Groups